Nashville – Rick Barnes And Tennessee Basketball has revenge by downing Auburn In the Sec tournament semi-finals, 70-65.

After the game Tigers coach and former Vols trainer Bruce Pearl met with the media.

Here is everything he said.

Talk about it The Rocky Top Forum

Well, I would like to congratulate Tennessee and your team and your coaching team, your program, on the championship game of our tournament.

Tennessee is a great team. You play the right way. You are worth defeating us.

We have to defensively do a better job. The last time we played them, they scored 51 points. They achieved 70 this evening. In particular, we fouled them too much. This is not a comment on the office. The office was fine. They scored 37% of their points on the foul line. That is on us.

We have not converted some inner shots and some free throws and some such things that you need to win a close game.

But our boys are great competitors. I am very, very proud of you. I believe that this team did enough from the start to finish to be number 1 in this tournament. Our curriculum vitae is historically one of the strongest résumé in the history of College basketball with the number of quad -one victories we had. Surely to lose against Tennessee as a team that took the fifth or the sixth in the country should not necessarily throw us off this place.

I am really glad that you asked me this question. We lost to Alabama, Tennessee and in Texas A&M. Yes, we are panicked. This is a real softball.

We lost to some great teams. We lost to Alabama in the buzzer. We had possessions here. Yes, we are panicked. I can hardly wait until next weekend to play again. If we come to Sunday, find out where we go, find out who we play and let’s go back to work. I look forward to not back.

Yes, it is obviously important in a close game and we did a great job to win many close games this year. We were really good on the foul.

Johni did a great job, only dominated inside, earned the bad shots that he got. Obviously he fought on the Freiwurflinie.

Tennessee played drop coverage. We had combined our Point Guards, Denver and Tahaad, with 1-10 from the three. Most of them were a decent look. We will normally do this. Johni had a template, which is because we did not make any shots that we normally did.

Tenessees Wachen are elite. They are great, great guards. You do a great job to close a little faster. These are games in a row where our guards, I think our guards were 5 to 20 against Tennessee and Auburn. We still managed to win.

Tonight we obviously didn’t shot a good percentage. I thought we would shoot better and play better offensive. I know that we couldn’t play much better at home and to hold them on 51. Keep them at 70, they have a chance. Too much fouled.

They talk about the work as well as everything, the victories we had over the whole season, the strength of the league. We lost to a team that fights for a 1 -seed.

Obviously I am very proud of the Sec. Only incredibly proud to be part of this tournament to be part of this league. I don’t know these four teams, which made it to the championship game on Saturday, that there were four stronger teams in relation to nationally classified teams in a final four of an SEC tournament in the past? I can’t imagine, not even close.

Yes, it means a lot to us. In other words, for me this is one of the things I talked to the team about. If you are the overall razor No. 1, you basically had the best regular season from November to March. We would like to be able to stick to it. We will find out on Sunday.

Yes, of couse. I will roll with Tahaad all day every day. He played great. One of the most effective newcomers in the entire college basketball.

Tennessee is a hard cover, man. It is difficult to cover these guards. They are hit on these screens, they chase these guards from this floppy stuff, that’s a lot. We never completely got into a rhythm.

Miles Kelly was a real factor in the second half because Miles was one of our best defenders, he was our best shooter. He had four fouls, got his … he probably played 10 minutes less than normally.

He made three buckets and was 8-8 from the foul line. It is difficult to defend him on the free -wing line.

He is a great competitor. He is the son of a trainer. He is a warrior. I know that he has a great affection for the Tennessee Vols and does a really great job to represent your program both on and outside the floor.

Obviously her guards, Zeigler 9-9, mask was 6-8, Gainey was 8-8. It was just difficult for us not to pollute her guards.

It is character, it is culture. It is her belief. It is the men who train them. Great trainers and great men.

I remember that at the beginning of the year I spoke about two or three of the games that I thought were some of the best games in which I was involved in Houston this year when we played Tennessee, Florida. The games are physical because they are physical on the offensive, set physical screens, they are physical.

But when I say that you play the right way, there are no problems. There is no extra -curricular. You understand how you play. They respect how they play. You respect how we play. This is from your head coach.

Yes, no, sure. Secure. Our bank was great and we play best when everyone contributes.

It somehow became … We had almost seven starters in a sense that Tahaad and Chaney come from the bank like starter. It was a great, great strength for us all season.

Chaney had a big game in Auburn against Tennessee. We probably have to think aggressively to share it a little more. We run through Johni quite consistently. You may step back and see if we can spread our gate a little, then it could do us even more dangerous and an even better team.

Yes, I mean whether it is Houston or Duke, probably the two best teams outside of our league that we played. I put them in there with Florida, Tennessee and Alabama. You are right there. So there are five or six teams that have the chance to reach the Final Four.